Brother
by Durbe the Barian
Summary: "Please...grow strong. Strong enough to protect those you care about. Then, when you've gained enough strength...kill me."


**Fairy Tail **

**Brothers**

**Angst/Family**

**Zeref/Natsu**

"**Please...grow strong. Strong enough to protect those you care about. ….Then, when you've gained enough strength...kill me."**

**(Don't own Fairy Tail. If I did...well...let's just say you guys would have a lot more Zervis.)**

* * *

Brothers

* * *

Zeref fell against a tree, his breath coming out in short puffs. The last chill of winter was nipping at his nose, his hair damp from sweat. He wasn't healthy. He knew that. But he had to bear with it. At least until he got a little someone to a safe place.

The squirming of a small child pulled his eyes down to his chest.

A tiny toddler, barely a couple years old, was looking up at him with his dark eyes. A sigh escaped the Wizard of Death as he pressed the child closer to himself.

That little life...that one, itty, bitty life...and he was doing everything he could to ensure its safety. It was only natural though. After all, it taught him the true meaning of life.

* * *

_He was standing in the middle of a dead town. Everything around him was withered and worn. Houses were falling, corpses were scattered around his feet. _

_ Among them...were his parents._

_ His dark-haired father and his salmon-haired mother. The two who loved him, yet cast him aside so easily when that...__**thing**__...took hold of his body, destroying everything around him. _

_ He wished to care. He wished to cry. More than anything, he wanted to cry until his heart fell into a thousand pieces. _

_ But he couldn't. He simply couldn't. Maybe it was that __**thing**__ that was inside him._

_ The monster of Death itself._

_ His eyes narrowed as he turned away. The one emotion that remained inside him – the emotion of anger – was still strong in that village._

_ He needed to get as far away as possible. Before he allowed it to take him over completely._

_ "Sayonara," he said, "Otousan...Kaasan."_

_ Suddenly, a tiny hand grabbed hold of his leg, stopping him in his tracks. He cast his scarlet red eyes down to the source, then tensed up._

_ Salmon pink hair, dark eyes, a round face..._

_ And a single word._

_ "Nii...san."_

_ Zeref remained still for a moment, his eyes wide with total terror._

_ The one survivor of his latest attack..._

_ Was his brother. _

_ Tears were falling down the child's face as he tightened his hold on Zeref's leg. "Momma and Dada aren't waking up," he said. "Why aren't they waking up?"_

_ Zeref remained silent. _

_ "They aren't waking up!" the child said, louder this time. "Maybe you can wake them up! Please, Nii-san! Wake them up!"_

_ Zeref felt a twinge of sadness, but he remained firm. "They won't be waking up," he said. _

_ "Why?" the child asked. "They're just sleeping, right?"_

_ Zeref shook his head._

_ Though young, the child seemed to understand his motion. Instantly, he started bawling up a storm._

_ Outside of the child's tears, there was only silence._

_ Meanwhile, Zeref looked on at the people who died because of his magic._

_ The very same magic...he could no longer control._

_ A lump formed in his throat as he bent down and embraced the little boy. _

_ Then his eyes shifted from red to jet black._

_ The Death Preying was not going to be happy with him._

_ Not in the least._

* * *

Zeref fell to the snowy ground, his insides churning furiously and burning up with intense flame. His breathing was weak, faint. As if he was nearing Death's Door.

The little one in his arms seemed to notice this, as he pushed himself away from Zeref to get a better look at him. "What's the matter, Nii-san? Are you sick?"

Zeref did not answer right away. Instead, he pushed himself up until his back touched a tree. Then he looked to the dead leaves that were once buried beneath the snow.

They were fading away.

As if they were never there in the first place.

His breathing worsened for a few moments, only easing up when he decided on the path he needed to follow. Slowly, he reached out and stroked the little boy's face.

Something the young boy did not like in the least. That was the last thing his father did before he fell asleep, never to awaken again.

"Nii-san," he squeaked.

Quickly, Zeref wrapped his arms around the little boy's body. "Na...," he began.

"Huh?"

"Please...grow strong. Strong enough to protect those you care about. ….Then, when you've gained enough strength," he bit his lip; "kill me."

The little boy looked towards his brother worriedly. "Huh?" he squeaked again.

Zeref smiled softly. "I don't expect you to understand yet," he said, pulling himself away.

Then he gently kissed his brother's forehead. "Not now," he thought. "But you will understand...eventually."

The pain in Zeref's chest then subsided for a moment, allowing him to make his move.

Ignoring his aching muscles, he forced himself to stand. "Nii-san!" the child exclaimed. "Wha?"

Zeref bit his lip in frustration. "I've got to go now," he said. "But remember what I told you, my brother." He smiled again, with this one being a painful smile. "Grow stronger."

With that, he turned and walked away, his sash being blown in the frosty wind.

Tears started falling down the child's face again. "N-Nii-san!" he shouted. "Wait!"

Zeref didn't listen. He didn't want to, lest he'd change his mind about leaving him like that.

And he couldn't afford to change his mind about it. His body was burning up again. A tingling sensation was attacking his hands and his eyes were stinging.

That meant only one thing.

The Death Preying was punishing him.

Again.

He grunted from the pain and doubled over, the world closing in on him as a dark chuckle attacked his ears.

He fought against it for a split second, but his bones felt like they were being turned to rubber. A second groan escaped him, this one louder than the last, as he fell to his knees and held his head.

His sides were splitting from the power his body was trying to keep within itself. His heart was beating faster than a hummingbird's wings.

He opened his dark eyes a crack. The snow around him was beginning to melt, and the trees were withering away.

The Death Preying.

His cursed magic.

Furious at himself, Zeref clenched his fist.

"Please...grow stronger," he whispered. "Then kill me...and destroy this monster of death. But until then...live...Natsu..."

Then his eyes closed, exhaustion taking hold of him.

The first time out of many over the next 400 years.

* * *

**D.T.B: Flamers are not appreciated. This story was rather difficult to do, seeing as how Natsu didn't want to stay any one age. So if you wish to flame, yell at your pillow or something. **


End file.
